On the flipside, a number of players need to be near their best or they will slide down the pecking order when the updated ratings are released on Monday, June 3.

KEY MATCH-UPS THIS WEEKEND
There will be superstars aplenty on show when the Sydney Swans host Essendon at the SCG on Saturday afternoon, and both sides boast a midfielder currently in the top five.

Swans star Josh Kennedy's incredibly consistent form has him sitting second overall, behind only Gold Coast's Gary Ablett. But the aforementioned Watson is breathing down his neck in fourth place. Watson was the highest scorer last weekend, with his performance against Richmond in the Dreamtime at the 'G clash equating to 31.6 ratings points.

PLAYERS ON THE UP
Adelaide's NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Sam Kerridge jumped up the ratings ladder after booting six goals in the Crows' miracle win over North Melbourne. Kerridge jumped 47 places, rising from 559 to 512. Geelong ruckman Mark Blicavs is also surging up the ratings table. He rose another 22 places to 521 after an impressive performance against Port Adeaide at AAMI Stadium.

PLAYERS WHO NEED TO LIFT
Carlton's Heath Scotland is among the players on the slide. He fell 22 places, from 97 to 119, after round nine. Richmond's Jake King also fell 22 spots from 229 to 251.

TWITTER CHATTER
There has been plenty of talk about the Official AFL Player Ratings in the Twitterverse, including this tweet from @Robbers29: "@AFL it's amazing how far @GaryAblettJnr is in front … CD should do historical analysis of previous great – ie. Has this happened before?"

Great question Rob. It's not out of the question that Champion Data will do some retrospective analysis of games to see how players of the past would have rated. The issue is that it's a mountain of work, as it's not only about counting possessions but recording where they took place on the ground, whether the player was under pressure and whether they led to a score.

* Keep in mind that although the Official AFL Player Ratings, brought to you by Vero, only recently went live on AFL.com.au, Champion Data has been collecting the requisite information since 2007.